Emerald Summer
by InnocentWaffle
Summary: SLASH!It's Neville's 17th birthday and his Gran gave him a trip to Ireland to see Ireland and Austalia duke it out for the cup. He thought he would have a trouble free summer but it really cant be 'trouble free' if Draco Malfoy is around.
1. Reminiscing

**Authors Note **

Well, this will be an interesting journey indeed. I plan to have this entire thing done before the summer is over which will be stressful enough already seeing as my senior year in high school is next. I also have a job with a very spastic schedule. I do hope that I can release a chapter or two every week.

A little back story to this now. At first, I was planning on writing a Draco/Ginny fic. Personally my favorite, but Draco and Neville as a couple seems so much more entertaining. So, the story will take place over the course of their summer between sixth and seventh year, and because I would like a plot all to my own, this will not follow the events of the book. Sure, Lucious wants Draco to join the forces of the Death Eaters, and there is the whole Voldermort business, but Dumbledore is alive for this tale, even though you probably will not see him mentioned much, jus here and there every now and again.

Please understand that all characters in this story are property of Mrs. J.K. Rowling unless otherwise stated. **This story also contains a male/male relationship, implications of extreme mature content.** Due to terms of Service and rules, I can not post explicit material and if I ever do write it, and you wish to read, I will post the chapters, unedited on another site. ** Again, this is a SLAH story.** If this offends you in any way, I honestly don't care. I will not take any flaming messages. Those will be ignored.  
I do, however, appreciate comments that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I would also like critiques in case I do decide to write another story.

I do hope you enjoy this. I present to you, Emerald Summer

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**Chapter One: Reminiscing**

A man of roughly 25 stood looking out the large picturesque window, holding a mug of tea in his right hand, the other playing with a gold band on his ring finger. Hazel eyes stared out to the fields before him. There was a small herd of sheep grazing not too far away and several hundred yards beyond that was a row of hedges marking the border of the property. It was a large chunk that must have cost a fortune but the man never asked about that. He jumped slightly, feeling slender arms slide around his waist and the weight of his lovers and husbands head rest on one shoulder. Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy together? It seemed almost impossible, but it had happened.

"Daydreaming again?" the silky voiced man whispered, sending shivers down Neville's spine and he nodded, seeing as that was the only thing he seemed to be able to do at the moment. They stood in silence for several minutes, looking out of the window that was in their shared bedroom. It seemed that both of their eyes, though neither of them knew really, fell to the same place at once. Way off into the distance, there was a grove of trees that seemed like they hid something, and they did., one of the most magical places that either of them had set foot in.

"Draco… do you remember that summer?" He didn't need to tell him the year or anything, Draco jus knew and he nodded.

"How could I not? It was the best summer of my life I think." He gave a silent chuckle and Neville felt the movement on his back and he joined him.

"Oh, I think last summer must have been better. I mean the wedding went on without any problems. And the dinner was lovely by the way."

"Thank you. One does try his best to please his lover." Draco kissed his dark haired lovers soft skinned shoulder and moved away. "It was a good summer, but I think _that_ one was the best. I found you," he said in a husky voice. Neville knew what that voice meant and he grinned, turning away from the window and setting his tea down.


	2. End of Term

Authors Note

Alright, since the first chapter was mostly me rambling about this story, here is another one for you so you don't get bored and you have something to comment about.

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**Chapter Two: End of Term**

Neville sighed as the carriages retreated from the grounds of Hogwarts castle. Why was it that he always hated leaving the castle when he endured so much pain over the school year? He hardly had any friends, even though Harry, Ron and Hermione acted as if they cared. Well, he knew Hermione did. She was always such a nice girl. So caring and genuine, always willing to lend and ear and sometimes, the truth, no matter how hard it was to swallow. That seemed even harder to bear than the ridicule and advances that he received all year, the worst had come from the Slitherins.

He had just turned seventeen and he had gone through a major growth spurt. He had always thought himself to be a late bloomer, but he never expected to go through major physical changes so late into his teens. It was odd really. His fifth year, he was still chubby and his cheeks were round like those of a child. He outgrew that quickly and over the summer, most of his baby fat was gone, or was that just the normal fat gained from eating too much, either way, it was gone and his features were more defined. He bulked up just a little, like a boy should be he thought when he looked at himself in the mirror after a little while.

He sat in the carriage pulled by those ghastly thestrals that they had learned about in his fifth year and he shivered at the thought. He couldn't see them, and he hoped that he never would. He stared ahead, knowing they were there, but pretended that they weren't, if that was even possible.

_Just don't think about it as leaving for good. You will be back next year. Besides, Gran has a big present for you when you get home._

Since his birthday was in the middle of the year, all big presents had to wait. They weren't much really, but it was always the thought that counted. He wondered quietly what the present could be all through the carriage ride to the train station.

All through the train ride, he found himself in the company of Harry, his girlfriend, Ginny and Luna Lovegood, who had a dreamy expression as usual. Ron and Hermione however were off making their rounds, only popping in occasionally, each time, he found Hermione looking so out of it. Her hair was always a mess and he noticed once that her buttons were done up the wrong way. Ron had his usual expression, the only indication that anything had happened was that his shirt was inside out and his zipper was undone.

"Well, now that our rounds are done, I think we can join you all for lunch," Hermione said sitting down and running a hand through her curly hair in an attempt to tame it. Ron sat beside her and leaned back in the seat. Neville looked at them with a little grin and looked at Harry and Ginny who were near tears from trying not to laugh so hard. Neville noticed and took it upon himself to say something.

"Um, you two might want to fix yourselves up before other people see." Hermione gave him a confused look and Neville elaborated.

"Well, your buttons are done up wrong, and Ron, you're unzipped down there…" Both of them turned beet red and Harry and Ginny lost it.

"Merlins beard, I do hope the two of you were safe!" Ginny exclaimed. Harry grabbed her hand as he tried to catch his breath. "From the looks of it," he had to pause as he laughed some more. "This was rather unexpected for the two of them."

"Ginny! For heavens sake we didn't do THAT! Not here on the train at least." As she fixed the buttons on her shirt, she gave Ron a coy smile, who turned even redder if that was even possible.

"Hermione Granger, are you implying that you have done this before?" Ginny was shocked.

"A lady never kisses and tells," she said and turned her nose away in a stuck up manner.

"I think it was more than kissing," Harry said to Ginny in an obvious whisper. Ginny just blushed and giggled.

"Hush! The both of you! I know you have to be thinking the same thoughts every now and then." Neville chastised them both for being so childish and it worked. They immediately stopped the majority of their laughing but there were a few giggles here and there.

To cover up the slight awkwardness that followed, Harry coughed and looked around. Luna was clearly off in her own little world, talking to herself occasionally as she responded to the article in her father magazine. "Well, Ron, Hermione, I'm hoping you have nothing planned for this summer."

"Why?" the red head asked, looking away from Hermione and turned his eyes to Harry.

"No reason, I just did a little bit of calculating, I saved my money and decided that we are all going to Ireland for the summer." Ron's' Jaw dropped and Neville looked at them with a pang of jealousy. He had never been out of England.

"Harry, I couldn't! Mum and Dad were planning on taking me to France again." Hermione brimmed with a mix of excitement and regret. She had told her parents that she really wanted to go again but now, the notion of spending the summer with her best friends was more enticing.

"Yeah, and Charlie was coming back from Egypt, I can't this summer." Ron looked a little let down but Harry didn't seem the least it disappointed in their news.

"I've already discussed it with them actually. A couple of summers ago to be exact. You see, after the last world cup, I wanted to see another one and I said to myself, if there was ever another one close by, I would take my two best friends with me."

Neville looked a little hurt at Harry's words. He would never talk about him as his best friend. Sure, a friend perhaps, but Neville was merely another person in Harry's life that meant nothing.

_It's not fair. I never get to do anything exciting. I didn't even see the Bulgaria and Ireland match that summer._

He never voiced his opinion on the matter, instead he watched the friends with a haze of green over his eyes. He jumped though when Luna tapped his shoulder.

"I went to a match once, not much fun if you ask me. You can never follow what is happening." She spoke as if quidditch was the worst game in the world. Well, Neville didn't like it much, but not so much that he didn't want to join the golden trio.

"So we're going?" Ron asked hopefully. While Neville was complaining to himself he had missed Harry's explanation on how he got Ron and Hermione permission to join him this summer.

"Yes, and Fred and George agreed to accompany us since we are still minors. They are paying for their own tickets though."

"Wow Harry, I can't believe you did that! This is going to be a great summer!" He leaned back into the seat again, finding Hermione's hand as if no one was watching them.

_Yeah, a great summer,_ Neville thought sarcastically.


	3. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart

**Chapter Three: Happy Birthday Sweetheart!**

"Well, how was the ride home?" His grandmother asked as they sat down for dinner. Neville looked up at her and shrugged slightly. He had been expecting his grandmother at the station, but instead there had been a family friend waiting for him with the explanation as to why his grandmother wasn't there. Well part of one at least. They said that it was a surprise really and they couldn't say anything else.

"Good I guess…" he paused, looking at his glass of water and then up to his grandmother. " Harry, Ron, and Hermione are going over to Ireland this summer to see the World Cup and Luna is going with her father to Romania."

The elderly woman nodded, noticing the hint of jealousy in Neville's eyes and smiled. "My, what a busy summer they will have. I dare to say that yours might be a little better."  
She slid a little envelope across the dinner table to him and Neville looked at it.

"What's this?" He assumed that it was his birthday present. Not money, he had gotten that plenty of times and he was tired of it. He disliked shopping anyways unless it was for a special occasion, despite his girlish tendencies (which will had become a little more prominent in the past year or so).

"Just open it and stop asking questions." There was a little sparkle in her eyes as she watched Neville open the envelope and become a little disappointed as he found a piece of folded paper, plenty of money and another envelope. "Read it first before you open the other one," she said excitedly, unfolding the paper for him.

_Neville,_

_I can't say how proud I am of you. You have grown up so much in the past years and I cannot wait to see the man that you become in the future. I know my presents have never been much but I have been planning this for some time now. I promised myself since you started at Hogwarts that no matter where it was held, I would take you to see a World Cup game for your seventeenth birthday._

_We are going to Ireland sweetheart, to see the Irish and the Australians. I have already made all the arrangements, including various activities for before and after the game, with of course, some time left for you to lounge around. Also, we will be staying at a lovely mansion that rents out rooms over the summer._

_I love you very much and I speak for both your parents and myself that we wish you the best of luck with your future and all the happiness and support that you could ever need._

_Love, Gran_

Neville looked up, his mouth hanging open slightly with tears building up in the corners of his eyes. His Gran was just smiling, practically glowing with pride.

"Are you serious?" He looked over the letter again. This couldn't be real.

"Oh, you don't believe you grandmother now? Look at the other envelope." Neville was still in shock. His grandmother had never lied to him, well at least not that he knew of. Carefully, he opened the second small envelope and noted that it was slightly heavy. He slit open the narrow end and dumped the contents out into his hand. A worn metal key fell into his hand and two slips of heavy paper came out as well.

"THESE ARE REAL TICKETS!" He shouted, causing his grandmother to chuckle and nod.

"Well of course they are dear, and that is your room key. You will have your own room during the summer," she explained and he was thankful for that since he had no idea why there was a key. Either she requested that she have the room key beforehand, or the people that rented out the rooms of this said mansion did that with everyone. He wished to stick with the first idea, thinking that Gran would want to make this as special for him as possible.

"You're going too, right Gran?" He wanted her to go but she never talked about quidditch. In response, from beside her on the floor, she found a large floppy top hat with the Irish colors.

"Are you mad, boy? Of course I'm going!"

He grinned still amazed that this was happening. The tickets and the room must have cost a fortune. He looked at the tickets again and half of his suspicions were confirmed. The seats were just beside the minister's box. He looked at his grandmother again and couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her in the green and gold hat.

"Happy birthday sweetheart," she said warmly as she began serving food to Neville. He only blushed, making the pale freckles on his cheeks stand out a little more.

After his birthday dinner, it seemed that it took him no time at all to pack, which left him nearly a week to sit and star off into space while he thought about their trip. It didn't even occur to him that Harry, Ron and Hermione would be there, along with half of their school. Ireland was close by after all.

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After his birthday dinner, it seemed that it took him no time at all to pack, which left him nearly a week to sit and stare off in space while he thought about their trip. It didn't even occur to him that Harry, Ron and Hermione would be there, along with half of their school. Ireland was close by after all.

Finally, the day had come and Neville found himself constantly looking at the clock and wishing his grandmother would hurry up. He was waiting by the fireplace in their kitchen with his luggage beside him; a backpack stuffed with clothes, and another bag that had some books in it, just in case he felt like reading, which was highly unlikely.

Finally, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs of their little house and Neville jumped up, taking both of his bags with him.

"Well, I'm all set, dear." she said with a heavy sigh. It was during times like these that he began to notice how old she was getting. Walking down stairs with a heavy bag always got to her.

"Here, let me help you, Gran," he said, reaching out to take her bag from her but his hand was smacked away.

"Don't be silly boy, I can get it!"

She walked past him, finding the floo powder in the little cupboard over the fireplace. Neville gave a shaky sigh, always hating to travel by Floo-Network. He always got sick afterwards and it was a rather embarrassing ordeal. His grandmother found what she was looking for and offered Neville the small jar with the sparkling grey powder inside. He looked at her and tried to put a smile on his face but it didn't quite work.

"It will only take a few minutes, and if you get sick, don't worry about it. There won't be many people around."

"But that's not the point! I just don't like it and its embarrassing!" He reluctantly took a handful of the powder and looked at the fireplace.

"Do you want to go to Ireland or not? I think you can get over that just this once, dear." She took some of the powder herself and returned the jar to the cupboard. Neville just stood there staring at the fire.

"Well? Get on with it." Neville looked at his impatient Gran and rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He threw the powder into the fire and the flames immediately grew and changed to a bright emerald color. Stepping into the flames with his two bags in hand, he felt the warmth through his jeans and he stared straight ahead.

"Emerald Isle Estates" he said loudly and clearly. He felt himself rise slowly and then shoot off. Closing his eyes tightly, he felt himself starting to spin. It was like riding a fast broom that was constantly trying to get its rider thrown off.

As usual, he felt his stomach churn and as he wished for this to be over, he immediately felt himself jerk to the left and he gripped his bags tighter. It was almost over. He was slowing down and he felt even more nauseous. He opened his eyes once the spinning was over and he could see the room in front of him, just before the fireplace spat him out in a cloud of ashes and he fell face first into the hearth.

He lifted his head up and once the room stopped spinning he gazed at the surroundings. It was clearly a sitting room, arranged in such a way that small groups of three or four could have private chats without feeling as if they were being observed. The ceilings were high and on either side of the fireplace, large stained-glass windows depicted a garden in full bloom.

He had nearly forgotten that his stomach was about to turn inside out for those seconds, but he was pulled out of his daydreaming when he started coughing and heaving. It couldn't be helped and soon what little contents were in his stomach before he left were now on the floor of this expensive looking sitting room. He blushed and found his wand, cleaning it away.

"Oh Neville," his Gran had just arrived, and a little more gracefully at that.

With a flick of her wand, she made sure that he was completely spotless and was a bit upset that she couldn't help him with the stomach situation. His cheeks were now a brilliant shade of red.

"Gran, please just stop it! You're embarrassing---" he stopped suddenly when he looked up to see a cold, unpleasant face. His stomach seemed to have disappeared now, along with his voice. His summer was ruined now before it had even properly begun.

"What's the matter Longbottom? Can't even hold down you pathetic little breakfast?" Draco Malfoy spat, completely ignoring the angry noises coming from Neville's grandmother.

"That always happens." he muttered to himself, but Malfoy caught it and he laughed.

"Weak. I guess I'll be seeing you around then." He narrowed his eyes before turning and leaving, running a hand over his slicked blonde hair.

Neville glared at Malfoy's back as he disappeared and then he groaned.

"Why, Gran? Why does he have to be here and spoil everything?" He felt like he was on the verge of tears. He had been looking forward to this, and now he was dreading every moment he was going to spend in the large house.

"It's alright dear," she said, leading him away from the fireplace, charming all of their bags to follow them in a neat little floating line.

"Don't let him bother you. You know their entire family is worthless." He felt a little better hearing his grandmother insult the snobbish family and he even smiled a bit.

"Alright, I won't." he assured her, even though deep inside he was hurt by what Malfoy had said. After all, all he ever tried to do was stay on his good side and perhaps start the beginnings of what could be a friendship. He had concluded though, that it would never happen.

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**Authors Note**

Thank you to Sarah who agreed to read over the chapters before I submitted them. I love you to pieces girl!

And to the readers, hopefully you liked the longer chapter. This was goign to be two different chapters. More for you to read and comment on I guess. Next one will be coming son, I hope. 

-Lisa


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